Three Novels for 2025
Great things come in threes
I don't have a good way to find the next book to read. I've got lists of books I want to read all over the place yet, inevitably, when it comes time for the next book I'm eager to just jump in and can't find any of these lists. This is where Mamie comes in.
Mamie is voracious reader of great novels. I dabble across genres, tending to go for biographies or histories of the sea & stories of white-collar crime. Why? Stories of the sea remind me of the horrific circumstances many sailers have had to endure and white-collar crime reminds me how quickly many lose sight of what's right when caught up in the moment.
Since the start of 2025, I've torn through three great novels that Mamie found and read first. When a great book is sitting in the Kindle library already, it doesn't matter where the list is. The book is practically begging you to open it up and jump back to the beginning.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore was my first novel of 2025. The writing is beautiful and the characters are fully drawn. The story magically unfolds without being infuriating, which is an achievement when the timeline jumps back-and-forth. The camp setting reminded me of elements of my childhood camp (without the mercurial family). Highly recommend.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore was my immediate follow up. I greatly enjoyed the writing in God of the Woods, so I sought out another of Liz Moore's books. This story of a pair of sisters who experience unimaginable trauma was as captivating as it was heart breaking. The rendering of childhood tenderness amidst the wreck of adulthood will stay with me for a long time.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin was another of Mamie's recommendations. The characters are just a bit older than I am, but inhabit a world I remember. The writing is remarkable with lots of things I highlighted - "This life is filled with inescapable moral compromises. We should do what we can to avoid the easy ones." While I recognize the setting, the characters are unique and fully composed.
If you are looking for a good novel, these are all choices worthy of your time.
